If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

making a mild steel plate convex

I'm working on a project in which I have an 1/8 inch oval shaped steel plate that I need to put a slight convexity in from top to bottom and left to right. Don't have any special equipment though except a press. Any ideas?

I'm working on a project in which I have an 1/8 inch oval shaped steel plate that I need to put a slight convexity in from top to bottom and left to right. Don't have any special equipment though except a press. Any ideas?

Heat the center with an oxytorch until it is cherry red then use a sponge full of water and cool it rapidly. This will cause the plate to bend. The metal where it is cooled rapidly shrinks, drawing in the sides. Repeat until you get the proper bend.

I'm working on a project in which I have an 1/8 inch oval shaped steel plate that I need to put a slight convexity in from top to bottom and left to right. Don't have any special equipment though except a press. Any ideas?

An English wheel would be ideal as long as there's no scale on your material . . . unless the anvil (small wheel) is hardened. Are you near Dayton, OH?

How smooth / consistent does the surface need to be? You could also hammer the center of the plate against a hard surface, lots of small hits. That will thin the material, making it expand in length. Since the outside is constrained, the center will bow and create the concave surface you want. A torch will also work, but you need to shrink the outside of the plate, not the inside, or you will just cause it to buckle.